TRD Pro ;educate me on suspension and maintenance

Hello all,
I am looking at buying the 17 TRD Pro early next year if I will be able to get my hands on one.
Will I be offroading? Not really, not in the next couple of years at least, but I do hope that in my next duty station (hopefully Houston) I will have more free time in my hands to take my vehicle off-road (not rock crawling, just forest roads for hunting or camping with the family). Maybe eventually, take a family vacation off the beaten path, who knows..

Before I ask my question, a thing you need to know about me.. I got no clue about cars..I don't even know how to change my own brakes..

So my question has to do with the Fox suspension. I read that if you mainly do road miles, you have to send them to be rebuild every 50000 miles. If now you have mixed miles on and off road, you have to have them rebuild every 10000 miles.
On the Ford Raptor forums, I read about the subject that in most cases, removing the nitrogen and refilling again at recommended psi will sufice (while rebuilding entails changing the oil, seals, etc..).
I don't mind sending them in, but I do mind being unable to use my vehicle for a few days.

Now should I buy a second, complete set of Fox suspension , so when I go to my local 4x4 shop to remove the shocks for the rebuild, having them install the second set? So basically rotate between sets?Hopefully what I asked makes sense.
Please if you have any thoughts about the subject share them here..

 

I can´t offer thoughts on the rotation of shocks, but I will ask you this. You don´t have to answer if you don´t want to, but what is your reasoning for the Pro? It sounds like the OR will do everything you need for a lot less cost.

This is from Fox
http://www.ridefox.com/service.php?m=truck


Maybe you should just buy two Pro trucks and rotate between them.

 

Thank you for the link, although I had already visited that page.
Reason for looking at the Pro:
As I mentioned I am not mechanically inclined; what if I buy the OR model and happen to get into more serious off roading in the future? I wouldn't know where to start upgrading.. The Pro offers that something extra right from the factory..
admittedly, the last couple of months I have been looking hundreds of videos from the TFL guys having fun going up the mountains in various vehicles, lurking at expedition portal, watching videos of jeeps in Moab ,etc..
I live such a busy life between my active duty career, my second part time job and the kids, that in my mind I escape with the ultimate off road vehicle.

 

Fair enough, I was just curious. The new cement color is pretty sweet too.
A lot of the fun of owning a truck is modding it yourself, but if you are not comfortable doing that, I understand.
Also, Thank you for your service.
Air Force Vet here. Civil Engineer.

 

Half of the fun part of Tacomas, is learning about them and learning how to build them to your needs. I suggest getting a TRD OffRoad, and spending some time reading on here. You'll learn off-roading tips, and how to drive your vehicle without getting stuck. You'll learn your vehicles limits. Once those limits are seen, you'll come back here or ask other new TW buddies about what you should upgrade, and you'll learn and build along the way. It'll most likely be a lot cheaper this way, rather than going full blown for a TRD Pro.

 

I understand what you are saying and I agree for the most part.. nothing more fun that hanging out with your buddies in the garage, drinking beer and working at the truck. But I feel I have so much stuff going on right now that I don't have time for that. Any extra money that might come along the way will go for bed rack and a roof top tent. Plus that cement color is stuck in my head. Not many people like it but I love it. So, although money is tight right now, if I manage to pull through with that second part time job (host in a restaurant by the way) till early next year I should be ok. I am planning this next vehicle to take me at least until retirement, 15 years from now

 

I would even recommend going with an SR5 and upgrading your suspension, tires, adding a locker, etc...basically all the things to make your truck a trd pro..if not better...and pay less money.

 

Sorry if I sound like your dad here, but if you are depending on a part time job to make the payments, think of those kids you mentioned. What happens if the job doesn't work out. I know you want your big boy toys, but those children need to be priority. Sorry for the rant, I just couldn´t help myself.

 

If anyone could answer the original question that would be great.
Thanks DaddyO, I will trade the vehicle that I currently own. The part's time job sole purpose right now is to set money aside for a new ride. My family is well taken care of by my active duty pay and my wife makes more than me! The boys (5 and 3) are having all the toys they want and then some.

 

You'll have years and 50,000 miles (where did you pull that number out of?) to worry about how you'll get the nitrogen recharged. I'd just buy the truck and worry about it later. Maybe by the time its due for heavy maintenance you'll have a good understanding of how the rig is setup and you can do the work yourself. It's pretty straight forward and there are plenty of members on this site that will gladly help you with removal of a stock shock componet.

 

You do realize that the PRO is going to be a very hard truck to get in 2017. Limited production truck more likely means higher price. I am willing to bet that dealers are going to slap a 45,000 price tag on this truck

 

Get the off-road and make friends. I. Didn't know anything when I came here... now I can do oil changes,r radiator flushes, brakes, suspensions, intakes, headers, manifolds, u joints, and more. All taught from people I met here.

 

1) Do we know 'for sure' that the pro will come with Fox shocks?

2) 'Normal' shocks really only have a life of 50-75k. You buy new ones and throw the old ones away. Because these units are rebuildable, you have other options. I suspect there will be a vendor that will provide you with rebuilt shocks and take yours in as a 'core', minimizing the down time.

3) Changing shocks is not particularly hard if you want to learn. Especially the rear.

4) What you have to decide is if you 'need' a pro. Doesn't sound like it to me. I too would go with the SR5 and tweak the things that needed changing WHEN you find that a component is inadequate. But that's your call.

5) Related to #4. Most folks who are 'serious' off roaders may start with a Pro, but a good bit of it will be changed anyway. To the same parts you'd change an SR5 bits to. So the end product is similar, but less expensive.

6) Most of the time 'new' is overrated. And payments always suck. Consider that you might find a used garage queen that is well equipped for a considerable amount less. A couple of years old and 40k or under could be worth several grand to you.

Thanks for your service.

 

1. Yes the pro will have fox shocks.

4. I don't really think anyone needs a pro. The pro just seems like a desert racer type of truck. For hardcore off roading, rock climbing the off road would be fine...possibly with mods.

I didn't even know that the suspension needed maintenance..so I'm sorta like the OP.

I can see where he's coming from, i was considering the pro as well...do i need one? No, but i wouldn't be modding mine either as i don't have the time or know how to do it.

 

I'm an owner of a 2015 pro. First of all good luck finding one when the 17's come out. And the chances of ordering one will be slim as well. I am saying that from my search for a 15. I got lucky with mine especially since it's a 6 speed. To be honest with what you are saying you want to do, I would save money and go with a Trd OR. Both would have a rear locker and to my understanding the crawl control since it's a 3rd gen. As much as I love my truck sometimes I wish i would have gone this route and build the suspension exactly as i want and save money in the long run. And trust me the dealerships will be charging handsomely for the new pros as they were with the 15's. However the 17's pros sound to be better equipped inside and out than the 15's. However it's your money and this is a big buy. Buy what you want and be happy with it. There is a wealth of knowledge on this site. Good luck and thank you for your service and all the sacrifices you have made in doing so.

 

last time around I did the "custom" build route and dumped over $5k on various mods doing it my way, but of coarse you get no money out on resale. Unless you can wait it out and find that "special" buyer who appreciates the value. The TRD Pro will have a much higher resale with the factory add-on parts.

I wouldn't suggest buying an extra set of suspension parts, it's just normal maintenance. The fox's will be factory installed so the dealer will service. If needed you could always get a loaner car from the dealer when truck is at service.

I just spoke with my local high volume dealer, and should be no problem getting a pro if you pre-order in advance.

 

I'm guessing you shouldn't have any problems finding a reputable shop to rebuild your Fox shocks if you're living in Houston. They do not need to be sent back to Fox for that. It really isn't a difficult process to do on your own, even if you have very little auto knowledge. There are many video's out there that detail the whole process. I'd imagine if you take it to a shop they should be able to rebuild all four shocks in 1-2 days max. As far as the nitrogen fill for the reservoirs go, most tire shops can fill them for you as well.

 

I was debating this too, but didn't want to wait, had the money already, and read enough to know that I'd be happy w/an Offroad and can build it to how I want it. Icon, King and other guys have great stuff, maybe better than the pro that I can customize. I'm very happy I went this way personally and can't wait for more parts to come out, especially 16+ specific parts. I'm not very mechanical either and don't have a lot of time, but that just lets me save more money for better stuff.

With whatever your decision is, good luck!!

 

I was told by a dealer, TRD Pro's will have NO discount, and you will pay MSRP or even above MSRP! I was able to get an TRD OR negotiated and then ordered over $2k off the MSRP! With all the money I saved I can put all sorts of Off road accessories (that the pro doesnt have) on it and still have some in the bank, than if I had gone with the PRO.

Few numbers for you to put in persepective:

MSRP of the OR I got: $38300
Price I negotiated including a non-negotiable Colorado dealer fee (super lame CO dealers all have this damn fee): $36500, prob be about 39Kish out the door with taxes and whatnot

TRD PRO Price estimated by the dealer: $42-44K and THEN you have to pay all the sales tax on that!

Cheers